Publication: Testing the Media Equation with Children

Designers of children's technology are often more
interested in user motivation than those who design systems
for adults. Since children's technology often has aims such
as education or practice, keeping the user engaged and
interested is an important objective. The Media Equation –
the idea that people respond socially to computers – shows
potential for improving engagement and motivation.
Studies have shown that people are more positive about
both themselves and the computer when software exhibits
certain social characteristics. To explore the possible value
of the Media Equation as a design concept for children's
software, we replicated two of the original Media Equation
studies, concerning the effects of praise and team
formation. Our results, however, were contrary to our
expectations: we did not find evidence that children were
significantly affected by social characteristics in software,
and adults were influenced in only a few cases. These
results raise questions about using the Media Equation as a
design principle for children's software.